31. The Pioneering English Ship That Revolutionized Naval Warfare
Commissioned in 1511, the English ship Mary Rose was among the earliest vessels that relied on cannons, firing not from the top deck as had been the norm since guns were introduced to ships, but from portholes cut into the hull on lower decks. That made the Mary Rose one of the pioneering ships that revolutionized naval warfare. She and others like her helped usher in the transition from the age of fighting at sea via ramming, or grappling and boarding, to the classic Age of Sail’s combat via massed gun broadsides.
The Mary Rose was a success, and gave the Royal Navy decades of solid service. Then, in 1536, she underwent an unfortunate redesign and upgrade. The goal was to increase her firepower by equipping her with more cannons. The solution to the problem of just where to put all those extra guns ended up dooming the ship.